Kitchen Conservatory

A Kitchen Conservatory Extension for Your Home

Our buyers guide to using a new conservatory as a kitchen.

Up to 70% of UK homeowners use their existing conservatory as a living room or dining area. But a more recent trend is to release space inside the home by moving the kitchen into a conservatory.

Before we get too carried away with the thought of a brand new conservatory kitchen, there are quite a few things to take into account beforehand.

You should take some time to consider the “pros & cons” of building a new kitchen conservatory in order to decide if it’s the right choice for your home.

So to give you some food for thought (pun intended), here is a general guide to what we think is the least you should know about kitchen conservatories such as:

Budgeting for a Kitchen Conservatory.

Pre-planning your Kitchen Conservatory.

Planning permission & Building Regulations.

Budgeting for Kitchen Conservatory.

Or, how much does a kitchen conservatory cost?

First things first, you are going to require a bigger budget for a kitchen conservatory than one simply used as a living room.

This is because you not only have the investment needed to build the conservatory itself, but you are also going to need a new fitted kitchen. Maybe even some new appliances like a Hob or oven will be needed (not forgetting the kitchen sink!)

So when you take the two elements together, you can why the costs involved can be greater.

How much does a fitted kitchen cost?

How much does a kitchen conservatory cost?

Pre-planning your Kitchen Conservatory.

6 Things you should consider before buying kitchen conservatories.

3 kitchen conservatories

1
Utilities

Any kitchen, whether it’s in the main home or in a conservatory, is going to need the same basic features

Water supply.

Drainage / Plumbing.

Power supply.

Ventilation.

For example, with a new kitchen conservatory, you need to consider how you get water to the new location, and how you dispose of it.

Water supply & drainage needs are not such an issue if you are just extending an existing kitchen into the conservatory. The taps & sink can remain where they are, and you simply add work surfaces and storage to the conservatory area.

Power supply is important to consider if you are adding more outlets – is your current fuse board capable of handling the extra load?

Ventilation is a “must-have” – think of having roof vents and window openers. If you want an extractor system, how and where is it going to vent?

2
Planning Permission & Building Regulations.

Depending on your chosen design and layout, you could well end up needing to get planning permission for a kitchen conservatory.

There are some guidelines to adhere to in order to qualify as a permitted development, and avoid the planning permission requirement.

In any event, you will need to comply with building regulations if you are not separating the conservatory from the main house with an “external quality door”. That can have an impact if you are going for an open-plan style.

We advise you consult in detail with your conservatory professional, and your local planning department about your proposed project well in advance of starting work.

3
Conservatory Design & Kitchen Style.

What type of kitchen conservatory extension are you thinking about? Given that quite a lot of kitchens are at the rear of the property, many homeowners use the conservatory as a means of increasing the size of an existing kitchen, rather than creating a new cooking / dining area.

Have you thought about the layout & positioning of the worktops, appliances and cupboards?

Are you after more of a breakfast bar / kitchen diner or “the full Monty”?

Conservatories, by their very nature, use a lot of glass in the side walls. Consequently, you can’t really fit cupboards or worktops there. So will you need one or more sides of your conservatory to be solid walls to fit the kitchen units to?

One way to get an idea of how things might work together is to mark out the proposed area of the conservatory on the ground. Then mark out the spaces where the worktops, cupboards, doors etc. are going to be. It’s quite easy to do this with some pegs, string-line and chalk dust (get these from any good DIY outlet).

4
Doors for your kitchen conservatory.

Are you going to separate the conservatory from the house with a door, or are you thinking of open-plan?

If you are going to have doors fitted between the two areas, what type of door would best suit your needs. This is also a consideration for the main conservatory doors themselves.

As an illustration, if you have quite a small kitchen conservatory in mind, then swing doors could take up valuable space – an option may be to use sliding or pocket doors internally, and bifold, sliding or outward opening French doors for the conservatory.

5
Kitchen Conservatory Flooring.

As quite a potentially well used room that typically serves as a place to cook, eat and socialise, your kitchen floor is likely to be well trodden.

There are quite a few options that can bring durability, good looks and ease of cleaning:

Ceramic floor tiles: Water proof, tough, easy to clean but hard and cold to the touch.

Laminated wood flooring: Visually appealing, tough and easy to clean.

Wood flooring – looks great and lasts a long time, but will need more looking after than other floor coverings. Not as water proof as the others and can mark / scratch easily.

Vinyl floor tiles / coverings: Some of the latest vinyl flooring designs look really good. There is a huge range of designs to choose from. It’s tough, waterproof, long lasting and quite warm to the touch. “Softer” than laminate or ceramic tiles.

Stone / Slabs: Gives a great rustic look to a home. But like ceramic, it is a cold & hard finish.

6
Heating & Lighting.

There are lots of options for lighting, especially with modern kitchens making use of concealed lights built into the cupboards.

Heating is another area to consider. Whilst we all know that kitchens get hot when we are cooking, what about the other 90% of the time?

Radiators and plumbing can take up wall space, so why not look into underfloor heating – it’s energy efficient, heats a room evenly and takes up no wall space.

Final Thoughts

A kitchen conservatory done well is a super place for you and your family to really enjoy. It’s an important part of many family homes. Cooking, dining and socialising in a bright and airy conservatory is a very fine experience indeed.

However, as you can see from our previous points, you have to plan your work and then work your plan.

In terms of the best conservatory design to use, medium and small conservatory kitchens work well with a lean to design. Victorian conservatories with their “curved” walls could be a bit tricky to fit out.

Rectangular or square designs like the aforementioned lean to as well as Georgian, Edwardian or even Gable & Pavilion conservatories tend to be a better choice.

If you want to find out more about the cost of a kitchen conservatory for your home, just let us know a few details about your project (and how to get in touch) and we will arrange for free quotations from trusted and accredited installers nationwide for you.

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